76th General Convention

Anaheim, 2009

Center Aisle is an opinion journal offered by the Diocese of Virginia as a gift to General Convention. We offer analysis and opinions from a variety of sources that reflect the transformational center of our church.

Center Aisle home

Features & News - Legislative Lime, Budgetary Berry and More

By the Rev. John Ohmer

Continuing from yesterday, here are more examples of how we at General Convention “drink the kool-aid” – ways we completely buy into ideas or systems – along with antidotes.

Legislative Lime: Most clergy and vestries I’m familiar with see “legislation” – the proposals that come before them – as a necessary evil, things that have to be done to enable the work of ministry.

But the further “up” you go into church governance, the more likely you are to find the Church structured as a legislative body, and so legislation proliferates, with the larger Church resembling the local church less and less.

The antidotes? First, to shout from the rooftops what’s mostly whispered over cocktails: that the most important, lasting work of  Convention takes place in the Exhibit Hall, during daily Eucharist, and in the informal networking over meals and drinks.

And all this takes place in spite of the legislative agenda, not because of it.

The second antidote is for deputies to believe, when they hear a voice that says, “this is such waste of time, the whole structure of General Convention needs to be changed, I wonder if anyone out there is willing to foment rebellion…?” – for them to believe that that voice is of the Holy Spirit. And conversely, the voice that says “sit down, be patient and drink your kool-aid” is not.

Budgetary Berry: Just as in Watergate, the key to understanding why our antiquated Episcopal Church structures have survived far past their usefulness is to follow the money.

If I stink at doing my job, people will vote with their pocketbooks, feet or both.

Parish clergy who are incompetent pastors, uninspiring preachers or ineffective administrators (or some Freddy Krueger combination of all three) will see it almost immediately in the annual stewardship campaign and in average Sunday attendance.

But mandatory giving – the fixed-percentage income the national Church and many dioceses receive – means no such immediate feedback.

The antidote? Move to voluntary giving at all levels of church governance. Let dioceses and the national Church do what vestries and clergy have always had to do: make their case, await the results and then adjust staffing and program accordingly.

Who knows? A move toward voluntary giving could mean 815 would quickly do what most businesses have had to do for years: identify its essential mission and then find ways to accomplish it through a slimmer, smaller, more responsive structure.

Finally, Self-flagellation Fruit Punch: I’m all for honest and candid criticism of the Episcopal Church’s shortcomings. But too often we cross the line into beating ourselves up. So often we sound so defensive … apologetic … squeamish.

The antidote is to remember the unique role this wonderful, eclectic, generous part of the Body of Christ has to offer the rest of the Body.

That’s why yesterday’s sermon by Abigail Nelson of Episcopal Relief & Development was such a breath of fresh air. She clearly spelled out the economic and other challenges we face in keeping our commitment to the Millennium Development Goals.

But mostly she told success stories. She talked about what’s working. The difference we are making. The lives we really are changing.  You left there encouraged … motivated …

… proud to be an Episcopalian.